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Sunday, August 13, 2006

Dog Days of Summer

Howdy Y'all!Here we are in the "Dog Days" of summer - reminded with every back-to-school sale that the summer fun is winding down and it's time to get the nose back to the grindstone. Kinda like that Sunday afternoon feeling when you pause to wonder where the weekend went. But honestly, one of my favorite days of the week is Monday (it's at least in the top 7!) Statistics show that most people die on Monday mornings. Really! Can you imagine dreading what you do so much that the thought of going back to work (or school) literally kills you???

So a better Back-To-School/Monday morning thought might be:

What do you LOVE about what you do?

What are you excited about discovering or creating with your work?

If we spend a majority of our lives either in school or work, what kind of legacy do you intend to leave via what you do?

And how will that affect the lives of those around you now and in the future?

If we ask ourselves these questions, I believe we'll begin to realize the profound effect that we have in this world and start looking forward to every day with the passion of a purpose-filled life.All Things Possible!Chris

31 Comments:

Chris, I too like Mondays. First thing Monday morning means back to the gym after two days off for a butt busting, endorphin raising, heart pounding work out. I can't think of anything better to start the week off on the right foot.

I have two jobs that I do each week. One full time, the other part time. I enjoy them both and seldom ever dread going to either of them. My full time job is basically an exterminator. I don't kill much, mostly I make inspections at various facilities, fill out tons of EPA forms, USDA forms etc. I love the interaction with the people. 80% of what I do is P.R. and education. I spend a great deal of time telling and teaching people about things like sanitation, construction/design and how if effects their particular ecosystem. Sounds fancier than it is.

My part time job is I teach dog training classes. People always say I am a dog trainer, I am not. I am an instructor. I teach people how to teach their dogs, specifically dog agility. Watching someone "get it" and become successful is the most awesome thing. I have had people who are ready to "toss in the towel", turn things around in their relationship with their dog and really start to enjoy having the animal again. Being at a show and watching someone get their first blue ribbon is so cool. Their smiles and tears (if applicable) are my motivation.

I have been asked why I don't teach dog classes full time and the answer is simple. I don't ever want my classes to become routine. I have been told I have a unique way of teaching and by doing so on a limted basis, helps me keep my edge.

As far as my legacy? Wow, I guess I never really ever gave it much thought. I suppose that I am not that comlex a person. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter if I leave a lasting impression or not. For me, it is more important that I know that I have given it the best that I could, while I could.

As a Quality Assurance Manager for a blood collection agency, I love the challenges of my job. I know, at the end of the day, I have been able to affect people's lives by making sure they have the gift of life, and that the gift is as safe as it needs to be to make them well and happy.

I have had other jobs, but they have been just that--jobs. Now I am in a chapter of my work life that I feel I am doing something important every day. I rarely get the opportunity to meet those who receive the blood products we provide, but it doesn't matter--I know they are people who need blood and that's all that matters.

I also have people (and three cats) in my life to love which give me a balance between loving my job and loving my life. I am a firm believer that balance is the key to everything...and makes all things possible.

Tim, thank you for teaching humans to understand animals. We can learn a lot from our non-speaking friends if we just listen with our hearts...and you seem to have a big heart. I work with the FDA, OSHA, the EPA, and the NRC so I can empathize with your "forms" requirements, and understand how the people make the job interesting.

Thanks, Chris, for giving us something new to think about this week. My hope is that everyone in the Forum Family has a great week. In the words of Captain Jon-Luc Picard, "Make it so."

Chris, it is late, coincidently it is Monday. I should be sleeping by now. It is your fault that I am still awake... Just kidding... I came across your site and I could not stop reading every page. Mind blowing and entertaining. What a great guy you are and I hope you become even greater professionally so that you can continue making a difference in the lives of lots of people. I will be coming back to read again some of your thoughts and try to apply to my life. It is difficult to leave the confort zone and do something different but for sure you are an inspiration.

ok now to try and answer some of your thought provoking questions. . . . .

I work part time as a Teaching assistant in A primary school meaning I work with children from 4 - 7 years of age (the scool has them upto 11 after which they move upto the next school). As a TA i work with the children who need that little bit of extra help and support with accademic things like writing, or numberwork etc - generally in small groups but occasionally on their own and last year I got to teach the ICT sessions once a week.

Working in school means that i only work during term time so am currently on 6 weeks holiday - meaning i spend time with my own children and sometimes - like today when they have friends round to play - it seems like half the school.

In September though once the new year starts i start a part time foundation degree (my job fitting round it)which will hopefully mean that 4 years from now i get to qualify as a primary teacher.

What do i love about what i do?

that's easy - the look on a child's face when for the first time they achieve a personal goal- esp if for them it's been a real struggle.

What would i like to be a legacy?

Hmm. . . . I'm far to ordinary and unimportant to make much fo a difference to anyone - but well I guess helping someone switch onto learning.

It's something we never stop doing thoughout life and learning to recognise our own achievements - (yes Jaschenka i know what you're going to say here) as well as the achievements of those around us, and keeping an open an receptive mind to new ideas perhaps if we could all do that then it'd be a much happier, positive World.

Tim! You're definitely leaving a legacy with who and how you are in the world. We haven't met, but I can tell by your passion of helping others and compassion for animals that you are leaving an awesome legacy.

Hey Patrick!! You continually inspire people with your enthusiasm for blood! I have already gone back in and given another pint (about 4 weeks premature, but it was a spur of the moment event!) And I totally agree that balance is key to living to your fullest potential!

Hey Joao - Welcome!! Thanks for your kind words and I hope you can get some sleep now!! Yes, that comfort zone can be very seductive so I like to remind myself of one of my favorite quotes "GOOD is the ENEMY of GREAT!"

Hi Angi!! I love that you do so much good for children. You are planting wonderful seeds with your actions now. And I dare say you are far too EXTRORDINARY and IMPORTANT NOT to make a difference. You do it every day!!

One last note I'd like to share on a completely different topic. I came across an amazing documentary called Loose Change 911. If you have streaming video, you can watch the whole 90 min documentary online at: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5946593973848835726 It has caused me reconsider the events of 9/11 here in the states. I don't want to get political, but I found this fascinating and wanted to share it with all of you.

it has been a while since i have posted because of my new work...it has been busy but no complaints.. i like it .. there are a few reasons for that.. it is a start up business that my contribution hopefully will make a real difference in growing the business.. since it is a growing international software development company we need to hire quite a few young and talented programmers whom i interview and hire knowing that we will provide them a unique vision and opportunities.. it makes me happy to work with such nice and bright people and support them in their career.. i like to guide them anyway i can and feel great satisfaction from it..

after taking a long break in my IT career to do things in other areas, i can see the contribution of that long break in my performance ..i am doing the things which i didn't know i could before..i guess the reason is my motivation and focus.. it brings out the best performance in us..

i am making sure that i have alife other than work though..i too believe like Patrick and Chris that indeed balance is key to living to your fullest potential.. i couldn't work well if the company didn't give enough freedom to visit my nephew, my love, whenever i can..

Tim , i love animals especially dogs.. i think they are amazingly smart, loving and sensitive creatures.. i think it is a great contribution you teaching people how to treat and to live with those special animals.. you are their supporter.. i am sure they would tell a lot about your contribution if they could have access to internet :)

Patrick, you already have made a great difference here about giving blood.. i am waiting for my treatment to finish for my stomach.. at the moment taking many pills.. when i am done i will be donating blood too here in Istanbul.. Thank you again for this inspration..

Joao, welcome.. indeed it is difficult to leave the comfort zone but once you realize what you can gain it may be an addiction to discover the more of the world..Chris . i LOVE your quote "GOOD is the ENEMY of GREAT!"

Angi, how important and joyful work you have.. teaching kids has been my dream job for quite a while .. my retirement dream is to live in a small town with a very nice nature and teach to the kids there.. and write books for the children or about education of the children.. even the script i am trying to write will have a major focus on how education and true guide make difference in their life.. these are my dreams..we will see..the universe knows what to do..and i live myself in its hands..

Chris, thank you for such great questions to make us think..and also for the documentary.. i haven't watched it all yet but got the idea which was also discussed here as a perspective underlining that things aren't really like how they look or presented..

Have a joyful weekend with your loved ones including nature and animals......

What a beautiful Saturday this is in Pittsburgh! I hope everyone is really enjoying his/her day and paying attention to the world around them.

Chris, thanks for the second blood donation. But be careful...even though you can donate more frequently than every 56 days, you need to stay on schedule in order to be a long-term donor. We want your body to be able to continually accept the loss of a pint every 8 weeks!

And thanks to all in the Forum Family who have put donating blood on the "to do" list! There will be people you do not even know who will receive the gift of life because of your time and thoughtfulness.

I am inspired today by the Roses of Sharon blooming in my back yard. No matter how challenging the environment with high temps and very little rain, they are still beautiful and not complaining. If only all humans could adopt the same philosophy.

My partner and I have been attending to the emotional health of a 25-year-old friend of ours who was the victim of a hate crime two weeks ago. He was walking to his car from a restaurant and was beaten in the head with a brick by two men who left him for dead. After a lot of plastic surgery, he is doing miraculously well, and his spirit seems stronger than ever. This incident made me realize how our lives can change in an instant...and how we need to appreciate every healthy, happy moment we have.

Keep our friend Jonathan in your thoughts as you send positive energy to the universe.

Hey Lara! Great to hear your voice in here again! I'm so glad you are doing so well with your new job and are able to award others work as well!! I read your enthusiasm in your words.

Thanks Patrick for the good advice about too much blood in too little time. Please send our concern to Johnathan. He sounds like a resilient and powerful man. It amazes me the power of the fear for things we don't understand. We are all capable of heinous acts if we buy into others's fear just as we are capable of greatness if we remain intune with our own innate love. Please read Johnathan the verse at the bottom of my "credits" page which is dedicated to all those who "make us stronger".

another challenging topic and great comments from everyone. I too believe that balance is essential! You cannot do a good job for long if all is just one sided and you don't have something that acts as a balance to recharge your batteries.

What I love about my job is interacting with people and supporting them. Basically my work can be described as administrative support, but I also lend a sympathetic ear if needed, get presents for anniversaries and such things. My colleagues are great and we have a great working environment and many people, even outside of our department, know that they can contact me for almost any kind of question and support. I think all of us here are nurturing people who like to help and support others, it's in our nature.

As for something different: the first review for "Sea of Fear" was now released. It's not too good, but it contains two pictures (not with Chris unfortunately, but Kieren is on both!) and a major spoiler. If you want to check it out, the link is http://dvd.monstersandcritics.com/reviews/article_1192506.php/DVD_Review_Sea_of_FearThe movie is released tomorrow in the USA and Canada at last... Hopefully I'll get it on Wednesday or Thursday. I did order it with extra fast delivery. :)

Hello again Ute and everyone...I got a surprise in my mailbox today on Sea of Fear release day! I happened to be able to sit down and watch it right away. Despite the review Ute mentioned, I really liked the movie...the music, the photography, and of course Chris! Also it was interesting to me, hearing Ute talk about Kieren. I had not had a chance to see him on TV yet...so it was a double pleasure to see the two of them in one film! Looking forward to everyone's comments...Sue

PS Guess I was the last one to post. We must all be still thinking about Chris' forum topic!

Chris,thank you for your kind words.. i know the topic asks us to talk about the good parts of our work but after this week i wanted share this with you all since my first description of work has been changed.. Last couple days has been very different than the days which had reasonnable challenges so far.. some of the things i had to deal with were so unexpected,unique and unpleasent problems even for my entire career.. since i was pretty happy with the things they were going it was like a slap in the face.. first it felt very bad.. it took time to recover but finally reliazed that this is just work/life.. another lesson to be taken.. it means that i will have to learn with the challenges.. i will work on creating more desirable environment to work in for the future but i hope being able to teach to the kids job isn't too far :)

Greetings everyone = I've been so busy with work that I haven't had a chance to check in lately! There are certainly days that I dread going in, but overall I do like my work, believe it or not, providing 'auxiliary' services to college students (parking permits, meal plans, id cards, etc). Sure, dealing with the public can sometimes be a strain - overall I realize that I am contributing to the well being of the next generation of thinkers and doers!

Of course, when my vocation doesn't seem fulfiling enough there are my avocations!

Interesting comment, Chris, about Mondays being the day that most people die - kind of makes you wonder what they might have been doing on Sunday (my usual day for church, rest, and recharging)?

Sorry to hear about your friend Patrick. It's sometimes hard to beleive that there are people in the world still capable of that kind of senseless hate - but when we look at all the violence still present in the world between countries is it any wonder that it all still boils down to individuals who hate other individuals.

Speaking of different views, Chris, though I haven't watched the 'Loose Change' video yet, I did have an opportunity to hear a Christian Missionary from Israel who happens to be a Palestinian at my church this week. It was interesting to hear his point of view of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict! Lots to think about this week - as usual.

Dave and Lara, thanks so much for your kind words about Jonathan. I will share them with him. He is a bit overwhelmed that folks who have not even met him could care about him. This type of caring is how it should be!

Dave, this time of year must be a rush for you as colleges around the world begin the fall semester. I worked for 14 years in the Student Services departments at West Virginia University, University of Pennsylvania, West Chester University and Duquesne University. Working at Duquesne is one of the reasons I relocated to Pittsburgh. I miss the kids at this time of year. They do a good job of either 1) keeping you young, or 2) always cognisant about how we are aging! Every year I got older, and the students stayed the same age!

Sue, how can I get a copy of "Sea of Fear?" I want to see it, but I know that Pittsburgh is always behind in latest releases. Maybe my local video store can get it for me?

I am anxious to watch "Loose Change" this weekend and provide some feedback.

Have a wonderful and restful weekend, all! Enjoy each moment...Patrick in Pittsburgh

Good morning everyone. I must leave for work soon, and was just checking the forum quickly. I got my Sea of Fear pre-ordering through Amazon and it happened to come on 8/22. Hope you get to see it, you will enjoy Chris in it. Never mind the reviews! I will try to post more this weekend.

Thanks Ute for the information on Sea Of Fear. It's not everyone's cup of tea and the critic certianly was eloquent in supporting his opinion!

Good luck Lara with the changes you are going through at work. Hope you find a way of being (or not being) there that works for you.

Wow, Dave! you must go to a really cool church! Definitely food for thought especially once you get a personal humanized account of the Israel/Palestinian conflict over there. Why can't they just "hug it out"?

Hey Patrick! Good luck with the back to school blood rush! Amazing how the students never seem to age - how do they do that?!?!

Thank you Sue for the info on buying Sea Of Fear and all your consistent support.

I leave today to join the cast of LEGENDS! in New York today for their final week of rehearsals. I'll post tour updates and anecdotes as often as I can. It promises to be a very exciting experience and I intend to keep you all informed to the extent that my internet access on the road will allow!

Chris, break a leg with LEGENDS! You are going to be the best! I have printed the tour dates and am going to attempt to get to one of the cities to see the tour. Just smile and wave if you hear someone from the crowd scream "Patrick in Pittsburgh!"

Remember that the Forum Family loves you and will be anxious to hear about your travels. We will miss you while you are gone, but there will be a candle burning in our window to remind you how to get back home!

Hello again, Sue and everyone,I did get my copy of "Sea of Fear" on time, but work was just crazy last week that I didn't get around to post. I have to agree that it is not a particularly good movie for several reasons (which I won't go into here as not to spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet), but I did have fun watching it, nonetheless. Especially the scenes between Derek (Chris) and Tom (Kieren). (As for seeing more of Kieren, his new show has been renamed to "Monarch Cove" and will start on LivetimeTV on Sat., October 14.)

Lara, I know how you feel! We have days at work when we just can't believe this is happening. What helps me is not to take things too seriously and I have started to give away "Dilbert" books as presents to my colleagues. For those who don't know, "Dilbert" is a cartoon character about every day life in the office. The creator Scott Adams is someone who worked in a big company for a long time and many of his cartoon strips are right on, even though they are not always meant to be! Funny enough, those books are not found in the department for joke books but actually in the department for business books, at least here in Germany.

Hello to everyone on this forum.I've been thinking about the topic this month, and said I'd reply back. First, I wish all of you a wonderful new beginning for your week, your Monday which begins the last days of summer vacation for many families. Second, I know everyone is with me in wishing Chris a great Monday, too, as he begins his new adventure with "Legends"...I know we will hear exciting things on this forum in the weeks to come.

As for me and what I love to do... I love to write. My life has run the gamut of being in school, being a teacher for a little while, being a distributor for an environmentally oriented nutritional supplement company for a number of years, being a wife and mother, and writing for a local newspaper. I think that mostly covers it.

I like to think my legacy will be in the words that I write about people and ideas, and...perhaps being a sort of teacher in that respect. That maybe something I've written will leave a positive effect on other's lives. Sometimes people tell me how much they enjoy what I write. I also know I'll never know the full effect of my work. I can only trust that I'm on the right path for me, which I feel is to communicate ideas and be a connecting link for people.

I feel blessed to know that I've found my passion in life, and blessed to have discovered this forum family, all of whom seem very dedicated and passionate about their work.

Chris' topic this time is profound. And I've enjoyed reading what you've all posted about your life and work. I love to check in often and read the postings. They help me keep inspired (Jaschenka's motto!) knowing that we all live our separate lives, but that in our hearts, we are all the same.

And we all love Chris and wish him the best of all things possible....while he goes off to "acting U." to study with true "legends"!

Keep on keeping on...and keep in touch...Sue

And thanks, Ute, for posting about Sea of Fear and I hope to catch Kieren on that show!

Patrick sorryt to hear about your friend and hope he's doing ok - as with everyone else he's in my thoughts and sendgood wishes adn positive energy for him via u and the forum.

Chris thank you for your wonderful ego boosting comments to my earlier post. i wish you lots fo love and luck on your Legends tour. i'm sure you're already a Legend to all of us here on the Forum and may this provide you with a weath of new and enriching experiences and open a few more doors for you.

To everyoe - i've not been here long i know but i'd like to tank oyu all for making a relative newcomer fel so welcome and a part for as Sue says "we all have seperate lives" but we all seem to be passionate caring people and "in our hearts we are all the same"

Hi Angi, I just saw your post and want to thank you for your kind comment. Plus, I'd like to wish you "all things possible" as you work toward your dream of being a teacher. The world needs compassionate teachers. I think of teaching as an art that some people have a genuine gift for, and I'm sure you are one of them. Keep in touch with the forum, and just think, in four years from now you can announce to all of us that you've achieved your dream!

Also, Lara, I hope your work is going better for you this week. I've had a lot of challenges, too, in that regard lately. It's been really great to read about everyone in the forum and the ways you all face the challenges in your life, along with the good times.

And I have meant to send my thoughts and prayers to Patrick and your friend. Hopefully, it will be through networks like these that one day make such tragic things disappear from the planet.

Angi and Sue, thanks for your kind words about Jonathan. He is healing miraculously well and attributes his healing to the support he is getting from everyone which makes him want to heal as quickly as possible. And as we all know, when you want to do something, you can!

Weather is breaking here in Pittsburgh and becoming more breathable! We will visit friends this coming weekend who own a log cabin on a lake about an hour from Pittsburgh. A great getaway from the city life and a rejuvenating way to remember what the planet is all about!

What plans do the rest of the Forum Family have for this weekend of celebration to those who labor in order for us to experience the lives we live? I am actually taking a full 6 days off work and celebrate by doing WHATEVER I WANT!

Chris, you know that we all will be with you during your tour to support you.. Patrick seems to be the lucky one who actually will make it and enjoy the show for us all..

Chris, Ute, Sue thank you very much for your support about my work challenges..

Ute, yes, it really was exactly as you said.. we couldn't believe that it was happening.. Dilbert sounds like a great idea.. thank you for reminding.. i will look for the books of him.. i agree with not to take it seriously in general but by nature i get involved sometimes too much in things what i do.. when things happen like last week it reminds me to detach my self from it.. may be that is why it happened..

Sue, this week has been better.. good luck with you challenges too.. indeed reading the experiences of everyone in anyway has been great..

Patrick, enjoy the days free of work.. and if you go to the show don't forget to enjoy it for all of us..

Tom, you haven't been around for a while.. i hope that things are fine.. we do think of you ..

Hey all! Sorry for my absence- good to be back. Luckily I have been able to follow the forum from frantic Shanghai..just unable to post myself due to lack of time..but wow what great posts again!

I still haven't recovered completely yet from the mindblowing experience China was- I've come back grateful, exhausted, recharged, inspired (!!) and very very humble- and all of that in many ways..I can also add that I believe if I answered this months topic questions they'd be very different from the answers I'd have given three weeks ago. You sure gave us something to think about Chris (again!)!

Chris! Toi toi on that legendary tour! Ute and I just picked a date for our 'Sea of Fear' premiere party. So looking forward to that! (And if all goes well my amazon-order should be arriving soon.)

Patrick: all the best for your friend Jonathan. I am glad to hear the positive vibes coming from this forum family seem to contribute to his recovery. Spending the past two weeks in a city with one of the lowest crime rates ever (which does not mean I am in favour of the reasons for that -being partly the strict regime) it is hard to imagine someone being the victim of such a violent act. Send him some more well wishes on my behalf, ok.

Alright, if anyone is interested: you can check out some pics herehttp://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v505/Jaschenka/China/I still cannot entirely comprehend all that I've seen and words would not do it justice anyway. Besides..that would use up all of Chris' webspace *wink* So..enjoy and again: GOOD TO BE BACK!Be Inspired! XXX

Happy September everyone! I just turned over my calendar and the photo is of the morning dew...droplets of water...on a web. The theme for September is "connect" -- "Millions connect to their families and their communities to make a difference in the lives of others."

I thought of our "web" forum and the connections we are making on this website that are making a difference...thanks Chris...

Amazing connections, too, like Jaschenka following the forum from China...took a moment to look at your photo scrapbook and your pics are awesome!Best wishes for your Sea of Fear premiere, too! Hope everyone can find the movie to view...

Thanks for the workplace thoughts, Lara..and Dilbert seems to fit in quite well at moments, as Ute suggested! Patrick, your friend remains in our prayers... Enjoy your getaway weekend...and may it be an ATP weekend for all...Sue

Hello again, I know I just posted, but I wanted to share something I found on an email newsletter about the organization "Take Back Your Time" and Joe Robinson's work on optimizing your work life, or your life around work, etc. He wrote a book called Work to Live, and the website is rich with information on the need Americans, especially, have to balance their life and work...much better done in other cultures. It seemed to fit in with turning the calendar over to Sept. 1 that I posted yesterday, and our obsession with time. Lara, I was thinking about what you wrote about your work challenges. Vacation time is important for our health, and we tend to not get the time we need to recharge and refuel. Hoping you all have time to do that this weekend. We will be going back over to Lake Michigan to be with my husband's father for a couple of days. I'll enjoy having time to relax and be somewhere else for a little bit.

I remember Chris was talking about life's balancing act. I think this forum is a great tool that he has provided to bring some of these things to mind. Right now, dealing with issues of work and time is a big topic in my life. I know I'm not alone in this. And I'm glad the "Take Back Your Time" movement is catching on. I think I'll try helping it along! Have a peaceful weekend, everyone...Sue

PS Looking forward to hearing about Chris' tour adventures coming up in Toronto!